Topline

“Regretting You,” the latest film based on a blockbuster Colleen Hoover novel and the first since “It Ends With Us” infamously sparked a legal battle between its co-stars, is getting panned by critics who question whether the many forthcoming Hoover adaptations can succeed.

“Regretting You” opens in theaters on Friday. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Getty Images for Paramount PicturesKey Facts

“Regretting You,” which opens in theaters Friday, failed to impress critics and has just a 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on the first 24 reviews.

The film is based on Hoover’s 2019 novel of the same name, which follows a young mother and her teenage daughter who contend with a tragedy and discover that the mother’s husband and best friend had long been having an affair.

The box office outlook for “Regretting You” also appears middling, according to initial projections: Variety said the film looks to gross between $8 million and $10 million, while Deadline projected an opening between $9 million and $11 million, likely not enough to topple “Black Phone 2” to win the weekend.

“Regretting You,” directed by “The Fault in Our Stars” director Josh Boone, stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace as the central mother and daughter characters, with Dave Franco, Mason Thames and Willa Fitzgerald in supporting roles.

Chief Critics

Hollywood Reporter critic Richard Lawson suggested “Regretting You” could “end the Colleen Hoover adaptation craze,” slamming the film’s “inescapable unoriginality, its plodding, uninventive, unthoughtful attempts at swoon and heartbreak.” He criticized the movie for unsuccessfully trying to appeal to both teenagers and adults, comparing it unfavorably to “It Ends With Us,” an adult-focused movie that he said turned “a poorly written novel by mega-author Colleen Hoover” into “persuasive, often lovely melodrama.” In a two-star review, The Guardian critic Adrian Horton called the movie a “bland misfire” and also suggested the era of Hoover film adaptations “may be short-lived.” IndieWire critic Kate Erbland gave the film a C rating and said it will work for audiences who “can vibe with its melodramatic wackiness,” but said Hoover’s material “continues to feel far less interesting than the fervor and fandom around it.” Deadline critic Damon Wise said the tone of the movie is “all over the place” and criticized it as a “ridiculous and overwrought slice of melodrama” that will leave viewers wondering “what the hell you’re doing there.”

How Many Other Colleen Hoover Adaptations Are In The Works?

Hoover, who has reportedly sold more than 20 million books after rocketing to fame on “BookTok,” TikTok’s community of readers, has become one of Hollywood’s most frequently adapted authors in recent years. Two more films based on Hoover’s novels are set to open in theaters over the next year: “Reminders of Him,” starring Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers, will open in March, while “Verity,” starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett will premiere in October 2026.

Key Background

Hoover’s last adaptation to hit theaters was “It Ends With Us,” which surpassed expectations to gross $50 million in its opening weekend and $351 million worldwide at the end of its theatrical run. But the movie became infamous for the still-ongoing legal battle it sparked between co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also served as the movie’s director. Rumors of drama among the cast swirled when the movie hit theaters in August 2024, as Lively and Baldoni were never seen promoting the film together. In December, Lively filed a civil rights complaint in California against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation, before filing a lawsuit against him in federal court weeks later with similar allegations. Baldoni then filed a since-dismissed lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the newspaper of libel after it published an investigation purporting to show Baldoni and a crisis public relations team orchestrating a “smear campaign” against Lively. Baldoni also filed a lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane in January, accusing them of defamation and extortion, also accusing Lively of trying to usurp creative control of the movie. The case is currently slated to head to trial in March.

Further Reading

Baldoni Vs. Lively Feud: Judge Dismisses Lively’s Case Against Baldoni’s Social Media Guru (Forbes)